The Sinnoh Soldier
by gsrawson
Summary: A complete rewrite of my first story, A Soldier and His Gardevoir. As a terrible threat looms over the entire Pokemon world, a young soldier in the Sinnoh Defense force will be forced to endure tragedy and combat it. Eric Hahn, still new in the military, will encounter a Pokemon during the fight. It will be this meeting that will forever change their lives and open their hearts.
1. Things to Come

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hey everyone! Yes I am back! It has been a very... very long time since I have been on my account on here. My life has become very busy over the months, with many things occurring that I will not go into due to myself not wanting to bore anyone. I will say, though, with pride that among those things was me and my girlfriend welcoming a beautiful little girl into the world six months ago from the time that I post this.**

**Anyways, I apologize for being gone for so long, so allow me to update you all on what my plans are with this...**

**I did mention some time ago that I had considered rewriting 'A Soldier and His Gardevoir'. I had decided to do exactly that, and will do so until its end. As you will see as you read this new version of the story, it will be similar in some ways, but different in many others. This is NOT a continuation of the original, but instead a re-imagining. There was some things that I wish I had done differently when I wrote the original version, and I want to reattempt that with this. I will be keeping the original up, as that was my first fanfic ever and I am still overall happy with it. I am sure that some of you would want me to keep it up anyways.**

**I hope to update this story as often as possible and that I do not make any of you wait too long for new chapters. For those of you who may be new to my stories, you are more than welcome to go and read 'A Soldier and His Gardevoir' before reading this one, but keep in mind that this is a true rewrite and not a retelling. This new version will be different and hopefully much improved over the old. As for which one will the "canon" to Eric and Celest's story... I'll leave that up to the reader to decide them yourselves. :)**

**This first chapter is a glimpse into what to expect later on... and I hope you all enjoy!**

**It's good to be back!**

* * *

**The Day of Reckoning, Present Day:**

Eric Hahn stumbled forward. His ears rang heavily from the constant gunfire that had just been filling the air. It was now instantly silent, save for the occasional explosion and collapse of some rubble from the nearby ruined buildings of Veilstone City. The soldier slowly rose from his place behind cover, then glanced around at the devastation.

Nearly everyone was dead.

What had been the thousands of soldiers of the Sinnoh Defense Force and the enemy they were fighting had been turned to stone. Perfectly frozen in time, seemingly forever, in whatever pose they was in when the event occurred. Even the plant life had been affected and turned to nothing but a white-ashen stone. Eric saw one soldier, barely of age, turned to stone behind a wall. He had been lying in the fetal position as he wept his last tears of fear and screamed his final begs for his mother.

In the open streets of the ruined city, more of the lifeless statues were scattered. Many soldiers, enemy, Pokémon and civilians alike… all gone and turned to rock. Multiple had fallen over from momentum, as the humans and Pokémon they were only moments ago had struck by the power as they ran for their lives.

Eric stared at a group of the statues as his mind scrambled. One of them was a Pokémon. It was a large, humanoid-like being with four arms, and had been turned as it held four separate soldiers by their throats. The victims had been turned mid-struggle against the impossibly strong grip and was now frozen in the almost-artistic pose. One of them had a knife deeply embedded in the Pokémon's arm; a last and most desperate attempt to get the Machamp to let go.

Another explosion shook Eric to his core from a distance behind him. He turned and just in time saw the remnants of a Defense Force attack helicopter detonate and scatter itself into a thousand pieces of metal shrapnel. It fell back to the earth when its unfortunate pilot had been killed in the event that turned so many others into rock.

The soldier's ears still rang. His head felt stuffy as a sharp pain shot through his skull. He could only stand in place, staring at the wreckage of the helicopter as a large shadow flew overhead. It caught his attention rather quickly, but the pain in Eric's brain made him sluggish to respond. Slowly, he turned and looked to the sky as another battle was still being fought in the air above.

A Pokémon, larger than a bus, paused high in the air above the soldier. It was focused on something else just out of view as it let out a loud war cry and charged a beam of light in its open maw. It was grey in color and had six legs. Sprouting from its back was a pair of massive black wings tipped with blood-red spikes. The god-like Pokémon had a golden crown-like part to its head, which framed its face down to the beak-like mouth that held the powerful ball of energy. It launched the ball, which sliced through the air with blinding speed towards whatever the beast was fighting. The Pokémon then quickly ducked and flew down to avoid an attack from another great monster.

This one was more dragon-like and just as large as its sibling. With a whitish body adorned with purple streaks and large wings, it stood upright on two legs as it swung one glowing arm. It unleashed a wide arc of attack at the first Pokémon, who managed to dodge it. The godly attack instead slammed into a skyscraper, easily slicing through the steel and concrete construction of the building. The structure groaned from the hit, then quickly began to collapse into a massive cloud of dust.

The dust swirled around the soldier. Eric coughed and gagged as the ground shook violently from the shattered building. He fell to the ground and raised his arms to cover his face. Small pieces of debris pelted him, stinging the exposed skin of Eric's neck and hands like small needles. Once the flying debris stopped flying, the young man slowly lowered his hands and brought himself back to one knee.

The pain in his head doubled, nearly knocking the human back to the pavement. He caught himself, merely looking down at his dusty and tattered uniform. At the moment, the soldier found that the only thing he could concentrate on was the pulsating pain in his head and the incessant ring in his ears.

And it was at this time, that the Pokémon that caused the deaths reappeared.

It was large, much like most other legendaries. The monster emerged from the ruins of several buildings at the end of the street, lifting itself from the rubble and into the air. It was blood-red in color, with a pair of massive wings that spread wide and a single tail that stretched straight downward. Black stripes decorated its belly, and its taloned-feet clenched with pure rage. A pair of black horns sat on its head and just over its eyes. The eyes themselves was of the coldest blue, so deep and soulless that merely staring into them would steal one's soul.

Yveltal, the Pokémon God of Destruction, glared around the devastation. It seemed almost pleased with itself at the death it caused. Yet, it's stare halted on the lone human kneeling in the street. The beast let out a scream of pure anger. How dare this human defy the Destruction Pokémon!

Eric's mouth hung open with awe at the Pokémon. His mind drifted aimlessly as he merely stared at the powerful being. He couldn't even bring himself to get back to his feet, let alone even think of trying to do anything. Yet, through the ringing in his ears the throbbing pain of his head, a voice called out to him.

"**Eric!**" she yelled out.

It was an angelic sound to him, as it always has been. Like the ring of a bell, it was purely sublime. It was not an audible sound, but instead a voice transmitted directly to his thoughts. This time, though, the cry of his name was in a desperate attempt to bring the soldier back to his senses. An attempt, that worked perfectly.

The soldier shook his head, then began looking for the being responsible for the call of his name. His heart pounded hard and fast as he felt a slight panic rise in his throat. He looked once again to the Y-shaped legendary beast, then down at the ground beneath it at the rubble.

There she was. The love of Eric's life, and the reason he kept pushing through it all, lying among the broken bricks and twisted metal. She was a Pokémon, a psychic-type. Her dress, normally a pure-white in color, was dirty and hung loosely and draped over her petite form. Her hair, an emerald-green, clumped together with sweat and partially covered her beautiful face. Eric looked his blue eyes with hers… the pure red rubies of swirling rose colors. Those gorgeous crystals, which pooled with tears until a single droplet finally broke free and trailed down her flawless cheek.

It was with that tear, that Eric regained his senses. He glanced down at the ground beneath himself and saw his rifle. Taking it in hand, he pulled back on the charging handle, ensuring that a round was chambered. Once confirming so, he first looked back to his love, nodding to her in reassurance, then stood as he stared down the massive blood-red Pokémon flying in place a dozen meters above the soldier's injured mate.

Bringing his rifle to his shoulder, Eric ignored the pain coursing through his body. Above him, the fighting amongst the huge god-like Pokémon resumed, but the soldier only took aim at the one that caused the deaths and turning of everything around them. He switched off the rifle's safety, then placed his finger on the trigger. Eric took a deep breath, ready to fight for the sake of the world and his love.

"I'm coming to help, Celest," Eric Hahn quietly said as he pulled the trigger, firing a shot at the Pokémon God of Destruction.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One:**

Eric Hahn strolled down the streets of Jubilife City towards the building that he sought. The hard rubber-like his combat boots clacked against the pavement with every step he took. His right hand was rested with one thumb hooked over his belt. The other hand merely hung at Eric's side, occasionally reaching out to brush his fingertips against the sides of the buildings that lined the street.

A distant church's bell tower began to ring out in its loud, bass tone. One, two, three clangs of the bell told the time for all that could hear. The young man paid no attention to it, however. Instead, he occupied his mind by adjusting his camouflage cap. He pulled the brim further down to better his eyes from the evening sun that managed to peek from between the clouds.

Several civilians eyed Eric. While some attempted to hide it, a few others did not try as they clearly watched the young soldier walk passed them. One child, a small girl, excitedly pointed at the man wearing camouflage, but was quickly pulled away by her mother. The woman ensured a wide berth was given to the young man. Eric curtly nodded to her and the little girl as he passed. While the mother nodded back, she gave no smile, then continued to stare until he was nearly ten yards away.

The sight of a uniform like the one Eric now wore was still new, and sometimes uncomforting, to some people. For a long time, defense and protection of the regions had been left to the local law enforcement agencies and their tactical squads. An actual war had not been fought in quite some time, and for years the military had all but been disbanded due to the relative peace among the regions. It wasn't until more recently that the regions' militaries had started to be reactivated. With no real publicly-given reason for the sudden reactivations, some citizens have been left wondering as to the need of a heavily armed military force.

Eric felt discomfort at the many stares he had been receiving, but he forced the feelings down and continued along his way. His hand drifted back down to his belt, feeling its nylon material. It was not the same belt that he used to wear when he was a civilian, and it was missing several vital parts that the young man was so used to having hanging from his waist. Pokeballs. The lack of the small spheres sent a spike of sadness through him, but he shoved those emotions down as well. He knew that his Pokemon were safe with Nurse Joy, and that he could always retrieve them at any Pokemon Center, but still not having them constantly at his side made him feel somewhat alone.

The soldier was finally nearing his destination. He looked up and placed his eyes on the building that sat in front of him. It was a newer building, much like those around it. At first glance, it would appear as any normal establishment.. Yet, to assume such a thing was far beyond the truth. Hanging above the door was a sign with large, easy to read decorative letters.

'3rd Company, 1st Battalion, Sinnoh Defense Force', it read in simple font. He was here. Eric had enlisted only a few months ago. He had to go through rigorous training in both physical combat and firearms, and since Eric's father had taught him everything he knew in the more rural areas of Sinnoh, it came easy to him. It also helped that he was simply a natural shot as well, so going through the training wasn't as bad as it was for most.

Eric looked at the sign for a moment or two, then stepped up onto the concrete steps. He climbed the small stairs to a heavy wooden door that served as the entryway into the building. Eric reached out, then banged his fist against the door several times. The knocks seemed to echo through the streets, and the young man at first felt as if it would attract more attention of the passing civilians, though the feeling quickly went away as he glanced around to see the streets were now eerily empty.

Several moments passed with no answer. Eric waited another second, then knocked on the door once more, but harder. Another moment, and he heard a familiar voice call out from the other side.

"I'm on my way, hang on dammit!" the voice yelled, causing a grin to spread across Eric's face. He knew that voice from anywhere.

Eric removed his hat and waited as the other person reached the door. A beep sounded, followed by loud clanging as the door's locks disengaged. Once that was done, silence followed it. Eric sighed to himself, then straightened up his stance when he heard the door opening. Once it was open, it revealed the person on the other side.

He was about Eric's age and height and wore a matching uniform. The dark-skinned young man that stood before Eric instantly smiled upon recognizing him, revealing a set of perfect, white teeth. He opened his arms in greeting and pulled Eric in for a quick hug, happy to see him.

"Eric, buddy!" the young man happily exclaimed. "So you finally joined up and became a soldier, eh? That uniform's looking good on you!"

Eric smiled as the man released him from the embrace. The man looked him over once more and sarcastically added to his previous sentence.

"Though I think it looks a little too new...don't worry, a few training missions will fix that!"

The young man laughed out loud at his remarks, earning him a quick punch to the shoulder. It was true, Eric's clothing was brand new, never having seen the dust of battle or even long roads. As for his friend's though, it was already slightly worn at the edges and sported a few faded areas from wear.

"Hey Joe, long time no see, eh?" Eric replied.

Joseph's smile widened. He clasped Eric on the shoulder and beckoned him inside. Eric entered the barracks, followed by Joe closing the heavy door behind them. Eric watched his friend as he inserted an ID card into a wall-mounted card-reader. The door's locks re-engaged, then the two made their way towards the main room.

* * *

**Unknown Location, Sinnoh Region:**

The Team Galactic grunts guarding either side of the door to Cyrus's chamber stepped to the side as Mars passed through. They both avoided eye contact as the red-head Lieutenant of Team Galactic pushed open the double doors and entered the large room with the guest that followed her. The pair of Houndooms standing guard with their trainers growled lowly at the newcomer, but otherwise remained seated at their posts.

Mars kept a serious face as she approached Cyrus's desk. Once she reached it, she bowed to one knee, snarling with distaste as her guest did not follow suit. Behind the desk, Cyrus stared at several computer screens mounted on the back wall. Each displayed information regarding his plans, and with each one, the leader of Team Galactic grinned slightly wider. Finally, he turned in his chair and faced his lieutenant and the man she brought with her.

"Mars, what have we heard from our allies across the waters?" he asked, raising one eyebrow slightly.

"I have come to give you some most fantastic news," Mars replied. "Team Plasma of Unova is still alive and even thriving. I have their representative with me here so he may help us with working together to achieve our goals."

Cyrus grinned widder, then turned his attention to the Team Plasma member. The black and grey-uniformed grunt adjusted his beret, then stepped forward.

"Cyrus, sir, I have word from my superiors that the political planting of our saboteurs are in place," the Plasma representative started. "The governments of Sinnoh and Unova are going to quickly find themselves in turmoil against one another as our agents plant the seeds of distrust between the regions. Very quickly, all will see that war will be inevitable."

Mars stepped away from the member of Team Plasma to be at her master's side. Cyrus turned in his chair back to the computer screens as his guest waved an arm up at them. As the leader of Galactic spun around, the images on the screens flickered to show images of formations of hundreds of Sinnoh Defense Force soldiers. It flickered once more, this time showing formations of Unova's soldiers. A war between the two regions is exactly what Cyrus needed, and it appeared that he would soon have one.

"It may take several acts of… pushing… in order to give the final shove to spark a war," the Plasma grunt continued, "but whenever that begins, it will be exactly what we need in order to fulfill each of our interests."

All eyes in the room was on the computer screens. They now displayed images of several great legendary Pokemon. Among them was the powerful Creation Trio and Tao Trio. The Plasma member gestured widely with his arms as a grin spread wide across his face.

"Our goals...a new galaxy, a paradise free from oppression, where Pokemon are truly liberated and humanity lives under our rule!" he finished.

Cyrus and Mars exchanged only a single moment of eye contact. They both knew in their hearts that now was the time. It was finally time to put everything they worked for into motion.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I have not forgotten about this, I assure you! I have been busy planning and writing and rewriting. I will not upload any new chapters unless I'm 100% happy with them. I do not want to upload anything that I think isn't what I want, as I believe that would be lowering the quality of the final upload. Anyways, I plan on getting more regular with my uploads so you guys are not waiting terrible lengths of time for each new chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

Zero five hundred hours. Reveille began playing over the speakers mounted in the ceiling of the barracks, waking everyone from their sleep. Eric jolted awake, then rolled over in his bed. The young man had always hated waking up early, but he had to accept that many things have changed in his life since he enlisted. Earlier in life, he wished to become a great Pokemon trainer, much like many of his peers. Yet, after events in neighboring regions involving powerful criminal organizations, Eric felt that enlisting to protect those around him became of a higher priority. In the end and as he grew up, he slowly lost interest in capturing and battling his Pokemon. It had even been years since he had last captured one.

Even then though, he always kept a Pokeball on his person. It was empty and unused, but the soldier kept it on him as a reminder of his childhood. It was technically against military regulations to have it on him, but Eric kept it shrunk and hidden in his chest pocket. The only other soul that knew he had it was Joe, Eric's childhood best friend.

The young man finally stretched out and sat up, letting out a yawn. As he glanced around, he realized that the other soldiers in the barracks were already getting ready and moving about. Some were gathering their gear and packing their rucksacks as others shaved or laced their boots. Eric quickly jumped up and joined the rest in preparing for the day, quickly shaving any stubble and brushing his teeth. In his mind, his thoughts ran rampant. Today was the first day of a long next few. Orders have been received the night he first arrived at the unit; they was to preform a military exercise in the forests just north of Route 212. The Sinnoh Defense Force must remain at the ready at all times, and training in the dense forests of Sinnoh would be perfect in staying prepared.

The door to the barracks swung open, and a middle-aged man entered. He was a veteran, having served with the old Sinnoh Defense Force during the Great War before the unification of the regions. His hair had silver streaks here and there, but the veteran's eyes were still as sharp as the day of his enlistment nearly 30 years prior. His uniform was always crisp and clean, but today he wore an older and more worn uniform, indicating that today was indeed the day to begin their field training drills. The night that Eric arrived, this veteran was first to introduce himself, and was instantly liked by Eric. His rank and name; Staff Sergeant John Burke. He was Eric's squad leader.

"Alright everyone gather around!" yelled out Sergeant Burke. Silence immediately followed as the heads of the eights soldiers in the room all turned to listen to what their Sergeant had to say.

"Today is the day, boys," Sergeant Burke began, "While I am sure that most of you already know most of the details, I'm going to go over things so we're all on the same page."

Eric moved from his locker over to his bunk. He sat and grabbed his boots, pulling each one on quickly. As he did so, he made sure to listen in to his squad leader.

Sergeant Burke looked around the room, making sure to meet each of his soldiers in the eye as he took a breath. Letting out a sigh, he continued.

"Today, we will be going out to an area of the woods just north of Route 212," he said. "There, we will set up defensive positions and patrol routes through the area. The location is relatively secluded, being restricted to government personnel only. That means we will be out of sight and mind of any civilians."

Eric took a quick drink from the canteen hanging from the head of his bed, then reached for his ruck sack and looked through it. He ensured that his field gear was packed, then placed the sack on the floor and looked back to Burke.

The veteran took a few steps into the room, wiping a small bit of dust from the top of a locker. He gave a small glance to the soldier it belonged to without skipping a beat with his speech.

"Keep in mind, boys. Because this area is off-limits to civilians, that means that there will be a larger population of wild Pokemon," he spoke, stepping away from the locker as its owner jumped up to get it spotless. "We are not to interfere with the local wildlife... you all know the rules. No messing with any Pokemon we might see. No pestering them. No capturing etc. Regulations will be followed to a tee."

Eric rose his hand, catching the attention of his leader. The old veteran rose one eyebrow, then nodded for the young soldier to speak.

"What will we be doing, Sgt?" Eric asked. "What are our objectives?"

Burked allowed a small grin, then spun on his heels to face the others as he answered.

"Our objective will be to secure the area and patrol for hostiles," he explained. "Alpha, Charlie and Delta squads will all be doing the same thing. The twist: we're all hostile to one another for this drill."

All the soldiers in the room straightened up. Things got more interesting. This definitely was not a standard drill.

"So we're preforming a war game, then?" Ross Lancaster spoke up. He was another soldier in the squad. A scrawny soldier, Eric found that he disliked him over the other's lack of basic hygiene and basic lack of manners or respect.

John Burke nodded, then made off towards the door.

"I want everyone in the armory to get their weapons and then outside for transport! You got ten minutes!" the veteran then barked as he swung th edoors to the barracks open once more, this time leaving.

"Oorah!" the room yelled out in unison with the exception of Ross. Everyone then very quickly grabbed their gear and started out the door towards the armory. Eric was just finishing up putting on his armored vest when Joe approached him to help. The straps were somewhat in a hard to reach spot, so Joe pulled them tight, earning a thumbs-up from Eric.

"How ya feelin'? Ready to what's next?" Joe asked with a grin and a hard smack to Eric's back.

Eric grinned at his friend, then threw on his rucksack as the pair ran out the door.

"As ready as I could be," he replied, feeling his chest pocked on his vest to ensure that the empty pokeball was still there.

Within a few minutes, the two friends found themselves in line at the armory. Eric watched the soldiers in front of him get handed their weapons, then it was his turn. Behind the counter was a female soldier, the Quartermaster. She looked to be very bored with her job as she pulled a standard-issue Type 89 rifle from the weapon rack. Ensuring it was empty, she scribbled down its number next to Eric's name on a sheet of paper, then handed him the rifle and several magazines. The magazines were wrapped with blue tape and all was loaded to the brim with blue-tipped rounds.

"These are stun rounds," the Quartermaster explained as if Eric didn't know what they was. The young soldier had used them several times during basic training, but listened anyways as she continued, "These will be used during your training to fire at other soldiers. Please refrain from shooting anyone's face, because even though these are meant to be fired at one another for training purposes, they can and still take out an eye. They may also be sued to scare off any wild Pokemon that are a threat, but you will be under strict orders not to fire at any wildlife unless it's absolutely necessary. Understood?"

Eric took the magazines, placing each once into pouches that was located on his vest. He then took his rifle from the Quartermaster, nodding to her.

"Understood," he replied before stepping aside to wait for Joe to get his weapon.

Once his friend had his rifle and ammunition, the two moved outside and jogged across the gravel parking lot towards their squad. They was all loading onto a transport truck as Sergeant Burke looked on. The veteran noticed the two moving towards them as he pulled a cigar from his pocket. With a quick struck of a match, he lit the end and took a puff, appreciating the stout flavor of the tobacco. Burke had high hopes for soldiers such as Eric and Joe, and was happy to see that there was youth that were eager to enlist to defend their homes. When the Defense Force was being reformed, the old veteran did not hesitate to re-up for duty. He proudly served in the past and figured that this new military would need all the experience it could get.

"Well well, just in time it seems," Burke said with a grin and a chuckle. He lightly chewed on the cigar as he waved for the two young soldiers towards the truck, "Let us hurry now. We're heading off in just a moment."

Eric and Joe quickly tossed their rucksacks onto the back of the truck, then pulled themselves into it as well. Just as the Sergeant had stated, within moments of them climbing aboard, the truck started up and took off out of the parking lot and onto the main road. In the bed of the truck, the eight soldiers and their squad leader sat cramped together. At first everything was quiet on the long and bumpy ride, but after some time, one of the soldiers spoke up.

"Hey Sarge," he began. His name was McGowan, though his first name eluded Eric. "How come we ain't allowed to have Pokemon on us? I heard that back in your time, there was always at least two or three guys per squad with Pokemon. I have a whole team that's been left behind at home. Wouldn't they be of use for us in a fight?"

Burke regarded the solider for a moment, mulling over what to say in response. Memories of the Great War flooded his mind. Memories of a human soldier that was torn to shreds by a Pokemon that he stood no chance against. It was vaguely human-like, but was much more insect than man. It was winged, with its body was covered in shiny red armor-like plates. It used razor-shard claws to rip the human to pieces as the younger Burke could only pelt it with bullets in an attempt ton try to take the Scizor down.

As that memory faded, another filled his thoughts. Several small, primate-like Pokemon charged across open fields towards his squad. Most of them didn't even make it half-way, being filled with lead as a lone Mankey tried to attack a fellow human soldier. Though the Mankey was strong, its small size did not help it as the human proved tougher. The Pig Monkey Pokemon was tossed to the ground, then mercilessly beaten to death with the butt of the soldier's rifle as Burke could only look on with horror.

"Sarge?" Joe said out loud, breaking the veteran from his thoughts.

Burke shook his head, coming back to the present. He re-lit his burnt-out cigar, then finally answered the question posed to him.

"Human conflict simply isn't their fight," he said. "Wars amongst man doesn't and shouldn't concern them, so after the regions unified, we all agreed to never use Pokemon in warfare ever again."

Though the Sergeant was attempting to hide his expressions, Eric could notice the slightest look of something that was like shame. Shame not necessarily for himself, but instead for humanity as a whole. It was as if Burke was ashamed of how humans used to be back in his youth when it came to warfare and Pokemon. The veteran went silent afterwards, looking to the floor of the truck as silence filled the air.

As the transport truck got closer to its destination, not another word was spoken.

* * *

**Inside the Restricted Zone, North of Route 212, Sinnoh Region:**

Within the forests of Sinnoh, a lone psychic Pokemon floated on her way towards a small pond. As she got closer, she lowered herself to the ground. Her pointed 'feet' made contact with the soft grass of the forest floor. She physically walked, instead of hovering, taking her time with her small steps as she approached the water's edge. Once she reached it, the Pokemon knelt and used her green three-fingered hands like a cup and drank. The water was crystal clear and cool, refreshing her thirst. After drinking another handful of the clean liquid, she stood once more and removed her long, flowing green and white dress. Her thin, bare form was revealed in the warm sunlight, and she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Using her mental powers, she neatly folded her dress and laid it on the dry ground. Then, taking small and careful steps out into the water, the psychic-type made her way until she was waist-deep. The Gardevoir enjoyed her daily routine of coming to this spot and taking a cool dip. By this time of the year, the heat from the sun had already made the forest a humid place, so being in the water was her favorite thing to do.

The creature glanced around at the tree tops, then smiled warmly to herself as she closed her ruby-colored eyes and allowed herself to sink down up to her neck. She then simply floated within the cool water, enjoying her private moment.

It was to end quickly, though. A commotion could be barely heard in the distance, but was just enough to rouse the Gardevoir from her meditation. Her eyes opened quickly, and she stood straight up once more. With a flash, she was on the pond's shore, hovering several centimeters from the ground fully dressed and dry.

She strained her pointed ears to hear the noise again. It was unlike anything she had ever heard. A rumbling, not like any Pokemon that lived in the area. As she pondered what the source could be, another psychic-type appeared next to her.

This one was smaller in size, only standing a little over three-quarters of a meter in height. Also a female, she had green hair of the same shade as her older sibling, but her hair hung down in a twin pony-tail-like fashion unlike her older sister's bobbed style. They differed as well in the red fin-like protrusions. The younger had a pair of the fins sticking from the top of her head, while the older had a single one that stuck straight from her chest.

The young Kirlia pulled at her older sister's dress, showing concern. Emotions flowed from the Emotions Pokemon to the Embrace Pokemon. Curiosity, fear, then worry. The Gardevoir gave a small smile to her little sister, sending feelings of calming to her, then expressed her desire to investigate the noise. While the Kirlia at first shook her head as she took a step back, she then clasped her hands in front of herself, then resigned into an agreement when she knew that she would fail to change her older sibling's mind.

With that, the Embrace Pokemon started forward, hovering above the ground as to not make any noise disturbance. The Kirlia followed behind as well, though her ability to float was not as good as the other's. After only a short distance, the Gardevoir let out a silent giggle, then lifted her sister with her own mind powers and gently helped her along.

After following the noise for some distance, they came up near the edge of a small clearing. The source of the rumbling noise was a large metal machine with many wheels. It was painted dark green in color and had several bipedal creatures moving around it. The creatures all matched one another in spotted green, brown and black clothing and carried long metal objects in their hands. Several was behind the big machine and was taking many large bags off the back of it. While this was being done, many of the other bipeds were busy setting up triangular-shaped objects in neat lines as they also went inside them with small lights and rolled up thick cloths.

The Gardevoir and Kirlia watched in awe. They both knew what these creatures were. They had heard stories from their parents about them. Humans. Both sisters was told that while many humans was capable of kindness, many was only interested in kidnapping their kind for use in some sort of fighting with other Pokemon. The small Kirlia shook slightly as she communicated with her sister.

_"Leave, we must leave here!" _the Kirlia exclaimed with fear.

The Gardevoir shook her head, once more sending calming emotions to the little one. After another moment, though, she thought again that maybe they shouldn't stick around. She took her sister by the hand, giving her a quick glance before returning her gaze to back to the humans. Just before she teleported them both back to their home, she made a mental note to come back later to watch these strange creatures, letting her curiosity get the best of her.


End file.
